Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-02-26
elbow. But Juan you are not going with him, are

l
heard everything that Manuel had said for neither
OF them had paid any attention to the half W1tted
| "No, Pablo, don't trouble yourself" said Juan
| quietly; 'T shall not go with Don Manuel, and
| shall have nothing more to do with him"
Something like smile passed over the features
1 OF the half-witted hoy.
| s'That is right" he said che is a murderer.
Every night Ricardo comes to my bed and begs
"That's only in your dreams, Pablo" said Juan,
good naturedly. 1.-THE judges have declared DON
| ''That's because they would not believe me- ~
| cried Pablo, nercely; "the lawyer asked me so
| in my head and at last could not say one word,
| but was standing right there when he plunged
| his knife into Rcardo's back, and now the poor
fellow has no quiet in his grave and-does not let
| me Sleep
"Poor Pablo" said Juan, sympatheticany
| "throw away such thoughts and come over to the
| tent with me and drink glass OF wine"
| "No," cried Pablo, ''not to-day. Not anything
to-day. Tor it wonld confuse me. The humpbacked
Pedro is dead They made sport OF him while he
| lived just as they do OF me, and am going with
| him to the grave yard tonight, and there can
| look at the place to which l will soon be going
| myself"
'.Pablo don't say such foolish things" begged his
brother. ''Come and drink glass OF wine, then
| cripple YOU must lie down and get a little sleep
| and will awaken at ten or eleven O'Clock. VIII
| that suit yOu?"
Pablo thought little while and finally It
| seemed as though he had hardly forgotten his
previous refuSals. and he said, 'Shan we not go
4 j "
MY head burns like fire. But it is all right, all
right, Juan. j must sleep quietly hereafter, or
Ricardo Will torture me to DEATH" and without
waiting for an answer he started of ahead OF his
brother toward a refreshment tent.
II.
1t was midnight, the hour when in Chilli 1t is the
custom 10 bury the dead. Every ship in the har-
Dor OF Valparaiso, on which death has occurred,
sends off boat at eight bells to the land, and the
to the summit OF the cliff to his last place.
But on this night there was no boat landed and
the vessels in the harbor were only discern
IDLE by the lights here and there in the darkness.
AT II O'Clock, however, a long procession, accom-
panied by torch bearers and musicians, took its
way from the city slowly up the road to the hill Of
the dead. Immediately behind this train, which
accompanied rich hearSe OF one OF the upper
classes, followed four men carrying an open coffin,
and accompanied by single mourner. The dead
man had evidently been very poor, not even was
the coffin his own property, but belonged to the
lie Carried to the re fhes in literal
sense, dumped out into great common hole and
the coffin returned to the dead house till the next
night The bearers when occasion offers, attach
themselves TO large procession In order to give
theirburden the benefit of the pOmp and ceremony.
At the edge OF the graveyard, from which one had
a view over the city below and the broad bay the
two professions separated. The four bearers went
d1agonaly across the graveyard to distant almost
which resembled a round white chimney. Here
was large hole, Quadrangular ditch some ten
or eleven feet deep and about five yards square.
Beside this the bearers sat down the bier. They
lifted up one side OF the coffin and rolled the body
out. one ran down ladder into the pit while the
other three With dlffieulty carried the body down
down the ladder into the hole. Then they laid it
in Its place In the OF cOrpSeS the bottom Of
the pit. The single mourner who had accom-
panied the poor fellow to his last resting place
meanwhile on the edge OF the grave. Tears rolled
down his cheek as he looked down the dark hole
and taking up the bier started Off toward the
town. The mourner sat by the grave mOtiOnleSS
for some time. The procession had long since left
the churchyard and descended to the city. The
place was deserted and dark. The moon which
was sinking in the west, threw vague wierd light
over the uncanny place. and the wind softly rustled
the leaves OF the fig trees that stood near. Then
the watchmen in the city below called the first
hour OF the new day and the mourner started up.
1t was Pablo, the poor half-witted boy, who had
accompanied his cOmrade TO the grave. But now
he no longer thought OF the cripple. Quickly he
pushed back the disOrdered hair from his forehead
listened for moment to the cry which came from
the city, then Sprang to his feet. He must have
had definite plan In mind, for without stopping
TO think he ran to sand heap near by In which
was thrust spade, used by the wOrkmen to
throw little dirt or sand over the bodies in the
We up 1he ss hsT
body which had just been put In. And then, with
out stopping an instant, he ran down the ladder
for the moon was so low that it just touched the
horizon, but Pablo easily found the place where
they had placed poor Pedro. The row OF bodies
tended half across the bottom Of the pit. Pablo
lay down next to his dead friend and pulled his
po,,cho over his face. Then with one hand he
scraped the sand which he had thrown into the
pit, up over him till he was almost entirely Gov.
cred When this was done, Pablo lay down still in
the place Of the dead. He listened for a time In
tently, but heard nothing, and then with low,
almost tnaudible voice, he whispered.
"Pedro, poor Pedro. are You asleep? How cold
Viii noyer M oa1 and sSav MIND
longer make sport of you and cry COrcOvaditO' be-
hind your back! The evil people will not even let
poor Pedro, Pablo is here with you and viii let
nothing harm you. LiSteni The fellow is CON-
ing, but he does not think that IL he comes down
q fYCfo f1Ny for
his sharp ears heard voices above.
Ave Maria! Manuel" said voice on the edge
is dark as pitch and my old grandmother has told
me many time that the dead who are buried last
down there rise up and dance upon the bodies
you offered me a thousand pesos"
.'CaraJo!" grumbled the other, "your grand
foolish ideas What is dead IS dead. and cannot
move again; much less dance. l give you my
word that those fellows down there are very
but will not go down."
Wen, then, you need not; but be little rea-
when come up again help me pun You are not
AFRAID 10 help carry him, are y0ue"
No, not after you have got him up here first"
.zo, All i ngnt; viii ask nothing more than that
~ wish it was over with. II any one finds us
here we Will have to walk the streets with iron
knee-DandS for six months"
Nonsense! Who can possibly see us here? The
worAmen are long since asleep. and nobody thinks
pleasure at this time OF the night. Now, here take
hold OF the end OF the rope. Don't let it slip out
OF your hand for we will have TO stay so much the
longer. We can do the whole Job In half an hour
We need Oily take the body down to your hut
there put II In box, and tomorrow you can take
IL quietly TO the doctors house Now here Is the
rope. Put 1t around your wrist. Be on the watch
and II YOU hear anything let me know"
Il tell you, Manuel, my legs tremble as IL had
the fever -
"Oh. You are coward. The wine will taste all
the better after this"
Manuel stepped on to the ladder and without
hesltat1ng descended into the pit In spite OF the
reckless courage which the Argentine had often
shown, disagreeable, strange feeling came over
him as his foot touched the bottom. he stopped
moment, set his teeth firmly together muttered
low curse between his lips and went on to his
work.
Manuel had been on the watch when the funeral
procession Game up the hill and had discovered
that there was only one body brought I'D that
night TO the common burial pit. He Stepped on
cautiously TO the place where he supposed Pedro
10 be lying, at the end Of the row OF bodies He
quickly made loop in the rope and bent down in
order 10 slip this over the upper part OF the body
under The arms, but at that moment he started
back In terror, for 1t seemed TO him he heard a
strange sound which was almost like the grinding
OF teeth. Terrified he raised himself and listened
he could almost hear his heart beat but it was
nothing. Everything was still as death And
ne TOOK hold OF the moose again.
from above f
"fes, answered Manuel, '.only be on the look
oot. thought heard something" Manuel bent
over again ana touched the head OF the supposed
ueaa man Pablo had long before thrown back the
up OF the p0aci.O from his face to allow him to
her no folfh